2019 Volvo XC40 First Drive Review: Wildchild

Volvo’s three SUVs are all similarly dressed and obviously related, but line them all up, and the new compact XC40 stands out. Like maybe dad left the elegant mom who birthed the XC60 and XC90 for the cute pixie barista from the artisanal coffee shop.

Not to forgive the wandering eye of Volvo’s paterfamilias, but this styling departure was actually carefully calculated—to convince upscale millennial buyers that this newcomer isn’t just a chip off the old sensible, safety-first Volvo block.

So how different does the sibling look? Does it at least have its father’s eyes?

Well, the Thor’s Hammer LED headlights—a styling cue of the other Volvo crossovers—have morphed into something more akin to Loki’s Scepter here. The XC40 borrows the XC90’s grille but wears it inside out. Short overhangs push the wheels to the corners, and the beltline swoops up into a blind-spot-inducing C-pillar. But can you see the family resemblance underneath? Sure.

To assess the XC40’s chances of success, we channeled our inner Gen Y selfie-snapper and headed to Barcelona to sample Volvo’s most youth-focused car.

As the first product from parent company Geely’s new CMA small-car platform, this is the first 40-series car Volvo has offered on a global basis. It’s also the brand’s first entry in the fast-growing premium compact crossover space. From an automaker known for building smart, savvy people haulers, expectations for the XC40 are pretty high.

Know what else is pretty high? The body. Volvo asserts the XC40 has best-in-class ground clearance and height. The equipment specification is also high for its competitive set, with the safety gear list mostly identical to an XC90’s—including Pilot Assist (adaptive cruise control and lane centering), City Safety, run-off-road protection and mitigation, cross-traffic alert with brake support, and a 360-degree camera to help drivers maneuver their car into tight parking spaces.

The only trim level available for test driving was the range-topping T5 AWD R-Design, and we gravitated to a white one with the “molten lava” orange carpet and door insert trim (a $100 option on R-Design models only). As with the exterior, the XC40’s Sensus vertical iPad-like infotainment screen, A/C vent design, gauges, and fonts carry Volvo’s clean, modernist look. But the lack of a wood-grain trim option and the techie metal trim—not to mention that bright orange carpet—all reflect Volvo’s desire to lure the youth. In one sad bit of decontenting, the XC40 substitutes the console-mounted, diamond-milled rotary twist start/stop knob for a plain black button on the center stack.

A practical note: Nothing is getting lost on this floor or in the gigantic door storage pockets—which benefit from ditching the bass speakers from the lower door trim and replacing them with a single big bass speaker mounted to the firewall just under where the right wiper parks

The interior bristles with other clever storage solutions. There’s a retractable hook above the glove box described as a place to hang carryout food bags (an owner’s mom could hang her purse there, too). A console trash bin with a lid comes out for easy emptying, and Volvo introduces its first wireless phone-charging dock in the console. The rear cargo floor folds to form a divider, with three hinge points that serve as bag hooks (another pair of bag hooks flank the cargo area for when the floor is left flat). We also like the rigid cargo cover that stows beneath the floor when carrying taller items.

In another millennial-luring touch, the XC40 is designed so that you can assign digital keys to the smartphones of family members, loved ones (or perhaps the occasional renter) for car sharing. And the XC40 won’t force you into an arranged marriage involving laborious purchase or lease negotiations with a dealer. You can effectively “swipe right” on an app and hook up with one for as little as a year (see sidebar).

Now to the hardware. The XC40 T5 models are powered by a 2.0-liter turbo that’s rated for 248 hp at 5,500 rpm and 258 lb-ft between 1,800 and 4,800 rpm. The engines in the senior XC T5s make two more horses and reach peak torque 300 rpm earlier. A T4 front-drive base model will trail the T5 to market, outfitted with a smaller turbocharger producing 14.3 pounds of boost (down from the T5’s 20.0), so output peaks at 185 hp and roughly 195 lb-ft (full specs are not yet available). In other markets, the XC40 will introduce Volvo’s forthcoming I-3 engine making 150 hp and 207 lb-ft, and we could yet see hybrid and/or fully electric variants. The XC40 uses its elder siblings’ eight-speed automatic, ratios and all.

The all-new CMA platform employs struts in front and a fully isolated four-link rear suspension. Base cars get twin-tube shocks, and the optional sport suspension (standard on R-Design) gets fancier mono-tube shocks with stiffer damping and spring rates. An optional Four-C active-damping chassis will eventually be available with continuously controlled damping courtesy of Tenneco valves on Öhlins dampers.

In another departure from Volvo’s SPA larger-car platform, the electric power steering system’s electric motor moves the steering rack via a second pinion instead of via parallel belt-drive and worm gears. The effort map looks like a deep notch, ramping up quickly just off center in each direction. Base cars get 18-inch wheels, and 19s and 20s are optional—all shod in all-season tires for the U.S. There’s a 21-inch accessory wheel that gets summer tires.

So how does it feel, zipping around the twisting Catalonian roads below Montserrat? Compared with an XC60 T6 AWD sampled on these very same roads in May, the XC40 is considerably lighter, nimbler, and more compact. As with the 60- and 90-series Volvos, an XC40 driver can select between Eco, Comfort, Dynamic, Off-road, and Individual driving modes that tailor the throttle and transmission response, brake and steering feel, all-wheel-drive torque bias, and damping level (when so equipped).

Dynamic mode brightens up throttle response and sharpens transmission logic quite noticeably, but any variation in steering or brake feel were too subtle to notice on this drive. At one point an aggressively driven older VW GTI gave chase, and we were impressed by the XC40’s flat cornering and high levels of grip afforded by the R-Design’s standard sport suspension. Of course our Euro-spec cars were shod in optional 20-inch Pirelli P Zero summer rubber. America gets standard all-season fitments, so we should expect more tire squeal and fewer cornering g’s. None of the bumps we encountered with these sport suspenders threatened to knock passengers’ phones from their hands.

Volvo estimates our XC40 will hit 60 mph in 6.2 seconds, and indeed it feels nearly as quick as our last XC60 T6, which hit 60 in 6.1 seconds. Clearly trimming 600 pounds is roughly equivalent to adding a supercharger, as our XC40’s engine is towing just a fraction of a pound-per-horsepower more weight than its big stepbrother. Bury the throttle to pass a slow-moving local, and revs build quickly and class-competitively. But we wish the engineers had better differentiated this engine’s sound signature. When it’s on the boil, it has the exact same angry-horseflies buzz one hears in the big-boy XCs. Oh well, crank up the jams on the Harman Kardons.

If our drive raised one caution, it’s on the fuel economy front. If the computer’s self-reporting is to be believed, we managed just 22 mpg over 180 miles or so, probably half of which was gentler highway cruising.

Customer deliveries are expected in the second quarter of 2018. Before then we’ll ask our own millennial staffers to rank this wild Swede amongst its Eurasian peers, the BMW X1, Audi Q3, Infiniti QX30, and Mercedes GLA-Class. Their eagerness to assume the task might be our first clue to the vehicle’s success.

Care by Volvo—Netflix for Premium CUVs

Today’s harried millennial has no appetite for the hassle of dickering to buy or lease a vehicle, cross-shopping insurance, contemplating maintenance plans, etc. He or she just wants to pick the colors, twiddle a smartphone screen, and drive off.

That’s all it takes to download a movie or TV series from Netflix or Amazon, and now as little as 10 minutes of phone-fiddling can also “download” a nice Volvo XC40 (T5 AWD Momentum trim with five popular options) for $600/month or a nicer Volvo XC40 (loaded R Design) for $700.

During that time, Care by Volvo partner Liberty Mutual Insurance assesses your risk profile and either accepts or declines you for its $500-deductible standard insurance plan—there’s no discounting or surcharging based on your location or driving record.

The contract is for two years at 15,000 miles per year, but after just 12 months the car can be swapped for another one by signing a new 24-month contract—just like you do with your smartphone.

These mono-spec cars will be stocked and distributed by Volvo and then delivered and serviced by local dealers. All the subscriber pays for is gas and local taxes and fees (this is an ownership model, not a rental model like GM’s Maven). The first Care subscriptions will be offered in March and marketed on convenience rather than lower overall cost.

Learn more about Care by Volvo here